Power amplification module

ABSTRACT

A power amplification module includes a first input terminal that receives a first transmit signal in a first frequency band, a second input terminal that receives a second transmit signal in a second frequency band having a narrower transmit/receive frequency interval than the first frequency band, a first amplification circuit that receives and amplifies the first transmit signal to produce a first amplified signal and outputs the first amplified signal, a second amplification circuit that receives and amplifies the second transmit signal to produce a second amplified signal and outputs the second amplified signal, a third amplification circuit that receives and amplifies the first or second amplified signal to produce an output signal and outputs the output signal, and an attenuation circuit located between the second input terminal and the second amplification circuit and configured to attenuate a receive frequency band component of the second frequency band.

This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/365,092filed on Nov. 30, 2016 which claims priority from Japanese PatentApplication No. 2015-236095 filed on Dec. 2, 2015. The contents of theseapplications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

1. Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure relates to a power amplification module.

2. Description of the Related Art

Mobile communication devices such as mobile phones employ a poweramplifier module to amplify power of a radio-frequency (RF) signal to betransmitted to a base station. For example, Japanese Unexamined PatentApplication Publication (Translation of PCT Application) No. 2012-527186discloses a power amplifier module that supports multiple modes andmultiple bands.

With the recent increase in the number of frequency bands available formobile communication devices, a frequency band with a relatively narrowtransmit/receive frequency interval is sometimes used. In connectionwith this, the power amplifier module disclosed in Japanese UnexaminedPatent Application Publication (Translation of PCT Application) No.2012-527186 has the following problem: when amplifying a signal in atransmit frequency band, the power amplifier module also amplifies noisethat overlaps with a receive frequency band since the noise issuperimposed on the signal. In a frequency band with a relatively narrowtransmit/receive frequency interval, in particular, accordingly, thereception sensitivity is low.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Accordingly, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide apower amplification module that prevents or reduces the occurrence ofreceive frequency band noise in a frequency band with a narrowtransmit/receive frequency interval.

A power amplification module according to preferred embodiments of thepresent disclosure includes a first input terminal that receives a firsttransmit signal in a first frequency band, a second input terminal thatreceives a second transmit signal in a second frequency band having anarrower transmit/receive frequency interval than the first frequencyband, a first amplification circuit that receives and amplifies thefirst transmit signal to produce a first amplified signal and thatoutputs the first amplified signal, a second amplification circuit thatreceives and amplifies the second transmit signal to produce a secondamplified signal and that outputs the second amplified signal, a thirdamplification circuit that receives and amplifies one of the firstamplified signal and the second amplified signal to produce an outputsignal and that outputs the output signal, and an attenuation circuitlocated between the second input terminal and the second amplificationcircuit and configured to attenuate a receive frequency band componentof the second frequency band.

According to preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, a poweramplification module that prevents or reduces the occurrence of receivefrequency band noise in a frequency band with a narrow transmit/receivefrequency interval may be achieved.

Other features, elements, characteristics and advantages of the presentdisclosure will become more apparent from the following detaileddescription of preferred embodiments of the present disclosure withreference to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of a power amplification moduleaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 2 illustrates a configuration of a power amplification moduleaccording to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detailhereinafter with reference to the drawings. The same or similar elementsare denoted by the same reference numerals and are not redundantlydescribed herein.

FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of a power amplification module 100Aaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The poweramplification module 100A has a function of amplifying power of RFsignals of a plurality of communication standards on a plurality offrequency bands. The power amplification module 100A is included in atransmit unit located in a user terminal, such as a mobile phone, forprocessing a transmit signal to be transmitted to a base station.Although not illustrated in FIG. 1, the user terminal also includes areceive unit for processing a receive signal received from the basestation. The transmit unit and the receive unit are provided as a singlecommunication unit, for example.

The power amplification module 100A supports a plurality ofcommunication standards (modes). In the example illustrated in FIG. 1,multiple modes including the second generation mobile communicationsystem (2G), third generation mobile communication system (3G), andfourth generation mobile communication system (4G) modes are supported.However, the communication standards are not limited to those modes. Forexample, multiple modes including the 3G, 4G and fifth generation mobilecommunication system (5G) modes may be supported. In addition, the poweramplification module 100A may not necessarily support threecommunication standards, and may support one or more than onecommunication standard.

The power amplification module 100A also supports a plurality offrequency ranges (or bands). In FIG. 1, seven frequency bands, namely,B1 (transmit frequency band: 1920 to 1980 MHz), B2 (transmit frequencyband: 1850 to 1910 MHz), B3 (transmit frequency band: 1710 to 1785 MHz),B5 (transmit frequency band: 824 to 849 MHz), B8 (transmit frequencyband: 880 to 915 MHz), B12 (transmit frequency band: 699 to 716 MHz),and B17 (transmit frequency band: 704 to 716 MHz), are depicted as the3G/4G frequency bands, by way of example but not limitation. In thisembodiment, three frequency bands, namely, the B1, B2, and B3 bands, arereferred to as high band, and four frequency band, namely, the B5, B8,B12, and B17 bands, are referred to as low band. Within the low band,the B12 and B17 bands are frequency bands with a relatively narrowtransmit/receive frequency interval. The transmit/receive frequencyinterval is an interval between the center frequency of the transmitfrequency band (in the B12 band, 699 to 716 MHz) and the centerfrequency of the receive frequency band (in the B12 band, 729 to 746MHz). For example, the transmit/receive frequency intervals of the B12and B17 bands are narrower than the transmit/receive frequency intervalof the B5 or B8 band. In addition, as exemplary 2G frequency bands, GSM(registered trademark) (global system for mobile communications) highband (GSM_HB) and low band (GSM_LB) are depicted.

Next, a description will be given of individual components of the poweramplification module 100A. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the poweramplification module 100A includes a 3G/4G chip 110, a 2G chip 120, abias control circuit 130, matching networks (MNs) MN3 and MN7, switchelements SW1 to SW4, and capacitors C1 to C6.

The 3G/4G chip 110 amplifies and outputs 3G/4G RF signals supplied frominput terminals IN1 to IN3. The 2G chip 120 amplifies and outputs 2G RFsignals supplied from the input terminals IN1 and IN3. The configurationof the 3G/4G chip 110 and the 2G chip 120 will be described in detailbelow.

The bias control circuit 130 generates a bias current in accordance witha control signal Bcont inputted from outside the power amplificationmodule 100A, and supplies the bias current to power amplificationcircuits PA1 to PAS in the 3G/4G chip 110 or power amplificationcircuits PA6 to PA11 in the 2G chip 120.

Each of the matching networks (MN) MN3 and MN7 is a circuit for matchingthe output impedance of a circuit located upstream thereof to the inputimpedance of a circuit located downstream thereof, and is implementedusing a capacitor and an inductor. Matching networks MN1, MN2, MN4 toMN6, and MN8 to MN13, described below, also have a similarconfiguration.

The switch elements SW1 and SW2 supply transmit signals inputted to theinput terminals IN3 and IN1, respectively, in accordance with thecommunication standards of the transmit signals so as to supply thetransmit signals to the 3G/4G chip 110 if the transmit signals are 3G/4Gsignals and supply the transmit signals to the 2G chip 120 if thetransmit signals are 2G signals. The switch elements SW1 and SW2 can bemounted on a substrate of the power amplification module 100A bysilicon-on-insulator (SOI), for example. This allows integration ofinput terminals for 2G and 3G/4G transmit signals. Accordingly, thenumber of terminals can be reduced compared to when input terminalsindividually corresponding to communication standards are provided.

The switch elements SW3 and SW4 respectively output amplified transmitsignals to any one of output terminals OUT1 (B1), OUT2 (B2), and OUT3(B3) for the respective frequency bands and to any one of outputterminals OUT4 (B5), OUTS (B8), and OUT6 (B12, B17) for the respectivefrequency bands in accordance with the frequency bands of the transmitsignals. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a single output terminal may beprovided for each frequency band or a single output terminal may beshared by several frequency bands.

The capacitors C1 to C6 remove the direct-current (DC) components fromthe transmit signals. A capacitor C7, described below, also performs asimilar operation.

Next, a description will be given of the configuration of the 3G/4G chip110 and the 2G chip 120. The 3G/4G chip 110 includes the poweramplification circuits PA1 to PAS, the matching networks MN1, MN2, andMN4 to MN6, and the capacitor C7. The 2G chip 120 includes the poweramplification circuits PA6 to PA11 and the matching networks MN8 toMN13.

Each of the power amplification circuits PA1 to PA11 is a circuit foramplifying a transmit signal, and is constituted by a transistor foramplification. The transistor for amplification is a bipolar transistorsuch as a heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT). A field-effecttransistor (a metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor(MOSFET)) may be used as a transistor for amplification.

In this embodiment, the 3G/4G chip 110 is constituted by threeamplification paths, namely, an amplification path for the high band, anamplification path for the low band, and an amplification path for aspecific band within the low band. The 2G chip 120 is constituted by twoamplification paths, namely, an amplification path for the high band andan amplification path for the low band. Specifically, the poweramplification circuits PA1 and PA2 are disposed in the amplificationpath for the 3G/4G high band, the power amplification circuits PA3 andPA5 are disposed in the amplification path for the 3G/4G low band, andthe power amplification circuits PA4 and PA5 are disposed in theamplification path for the specific band within the 3G/4G low band. Eachof the amplification paths has two stages. The power amplificationcircuits PA6 to PA8 are disposed in the amplification path for the 2Ghigh band, and the power amplification circuits PA9 to PA11 are disposedin the amplification path for the 2G low band. Each of the amplificationpaths has three stages.

The amplification of transmit signals in the 3G/4G chip 110 will now bedescribed in detail by way of example.

When a transmit signal RFhigh in the 3G/4G high band (for example, B1,B2, or B3) is inputted from the input terminal IN3, the transmit signalRFhigh is supplied to the amplification path for the high band in the3G/4G chip 110 by using the switch element SW1 via the capacitor C1. Thesignal is amplified by the power amplification circuit PA1 in theinitial stage (drive stage) via the matching network MN1. The amplifiedsignal is amplified by the power amplification circuit PA2 in the secondstage (power stage) via the matching network MN2, and the amplifiedsignal is outputted to the matching network MN3.

On the other hand, when a transmit signal RFlow (first transmit signal)in the 3G/4G low band (first frequency band) (for example, B5 or B8) isinputted from the input terminal IN1 (first input terminal), thetransmit signal RFlow is supplied to the amplification path for the lowband in the 3G/4G chip 110 by using the switch element SW2 via thecapacitor C2. The signal is amplified by the power amplification circuitPA3 (first amplification circuit) in the drive stage via the matchingnetwork MN5. The amplified signal (first amplified signal) is amplifiedby the power amplification circuit PA5 (third amplification circuit) inthe power stage via the matching network MN6, and the amplified signal(output signal) is outputted to the matching network MN7.

Next, a description will be given of the case where a transmit signal ina frequency band (second frequency band) (which will be describedhereinafter in the context of B12 and B17, by way of example) with atransmit/receive frequency interval narrower than the transmit/receivefrequency intervals for the other low bands (for example, B5 and B8)within the 3G/4G low band is inputted.

A transmit signal RFlow′ (second transmit signal) in the frequency bandB12 or B17 is inputted from the input terminal IN2 (second inputterminal), which is different from the input terminal IN1 for the 3G/4Glow band. The transmit signal RFlow′ is then amplified by the poweramplification circuit PA4 (second amplification circuit) in the drivestage via the capacitor C7 and the matching network MN4 (attenuationcircuit). The amplified signal (second amplified signal) is amplified bythe power amplification circuit PA5 (third amplification circuit) in thepower stage via the matching network MN6, and the amplified signal(output signal) is outputted to the matching network MN7. In the mannerdescribed above, the 3G/4G chip 110 is provided with the input terminalIN2, the matching network MN4, and the power amplification circuit PA4,which are specific to the transmit signal RFlow′, separate from theinput terminal IN1 and the power amplification circuit PA3 for the otherbands covered by the low band.

Since the frequency bands B12 and B17 have narrower transmit/receivefrequency intervals (for example, approximately 30 MHz), noise includedin the transmit signal RFlow′ may overlap with the receive frequencyband. The noise is amplified, which may greatly affect a receive signal,leading to a reduction in reception sensitivity. To address this issue,it is highly desirable to reduce noise in the amplification of atransmit signal in such a frequency band.

One conceivable method for reducing noise is to reduce the baseresistance of an HBT, that is, to increase the emitter area of the HBT.On the contrary, an increase in the emitter area of the HBT accompaniesa reduction in gain. This results in insufficient gain for a transmitsignal RFlow (for example, 900 MHz) in a frequency band different fromthe transmit signal RFlow′ (for example, 700 MHz) if power amplificationfor the low band is implemented by using a single power amplificationcircuit. In this embodiment, in contrast, separate power amplificationcircuits are provided for the drive stage, which may achieve an optimumdesign for the respective frequency bands. Specifically, the poweramplification circuit PA4 can have a relatively large emitter area fornoise reduction, whereas the power amplification circuit PA3 can have arelatively small emitter area for the maintenance of the desired gain.This configuration can prevent, or reduce, noise in the poweramplification of the transmit signal RFlow′ while keeping the desiredgain level for the power amplification of the transmit signal RFlow.

In this embodiment, furthermore, it is possible to separately design thematching network MN5 (for the transmit signal RFlow) and the matchingnetwork MN4 (for the transmit signal RFlow′). Thus, the difficulty inperforming impedance matching of transmit signals which cover a widerange of approximately 700 MHz to 900 MHz by using a single matchingnetwork can be avoided. In addition, the matching network MN4 can beadapted to function as an attenuation circuit. That is, the matchingnetwork MN4 has a function of attenuating the receive frequency bandcomponents of the transmit signal RFlow′, which may result in preventionor reduction of the occurrence of noise and result in further reductionof the effect of noise on a receive signal.

As described above, the power amplification module 100A providesprevention or reduction of the occurrence of noise in a frequency thatoverlaps with the receive frequency band during amplification of thetransmit signal RFlow′.

When the transmit signal RFlow′ is inputted from the input terminal IN2,the switch element SW2 can be configured to connect to the amplificationpath for the low band in the 2G chip 120 or to go to an undefined stateto electrically disconnect the input terminal IN1. This configurationcan prevent noise from being supplied from the input terminal IN1 to thepower amplification circuit PA5 in the 3G/4G chip 110 duringamplification of the transmit signal RFlow′.

In this embodiment, furthermore, the 3G/4G chip 110 can be implementedas a monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) and can beconfigured such that the capacitor C7 is incorporated in the 3G/4G chip110. This configuration can reduce the number of mounted components.

The amplification paths included in the 2G chip 120, for both the highband and the low band, are each configured such that a poweramplification circuit in the third stage is added to the configurationof the amplification path for the 3G/4G high band. Specifically, atransmit signal GSM_LB (third transmit signal) in the 2G low band isinputted from the input terminal IN1 and is then distributed to theamplification path for the low band in the 2G chip 120 by using theswitch element SW2. Then, the transmit signal GSM_LB is amplified by thepower amplification circuit PA9 (fourth amplification circuit) via thematching network MN11, amplified by the power amplification circuit PA10via the matching network MN12, and amplified by the power amplificationcircuit PA11 via the matching network MN13. The amplification path forthe 2G high band is similar to the amplification path for the 2G lowband and thus is not described in detail herein.

In FIG. 1, the amplification paths in the 3G/4G chip 110 are eachconstituted by two stages of power amplification circuits, and theamplification paths in the 2G chip 120 are each constituted by threestages of power amplification circuits. The number of stages of poweramplification circuits in each chip is not limited to that describedabove, and each chip may include one or two stages of poweramplification circuits or may include more than two stages of poweramplification circuits.

FIG. 2 illustrates a configuration of a power amplification module 100Baccording to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Elements thatare the same as or similar to those of the power amplification module100A are denoted by the same numerals and are not described herein. Inthis embodiment, features common to the power amplification module 100Aare not described and only different features are described. Inparticular, similar operations and advantages achievable by similarconfigurations are not individually described in the individualembodiments.

The power amplification module 100B further includes a filter circuit140 in addition to the configuration of the power amplification module100A.

The filter circuit 140 is located between the input terminal IN2 and theamplification path for the specific band in the low band, which isincluded in the 3G/4G chip 110, and performs a filtering process on thetransmit signal RFlow′. Specifically, the filter circuit 140 performsfiltering to attenuate the receive frequency band components of thetransmit signal RFlow′. This can prevent amplification of the signal ofthe receive frequency band components, resulting in further reduction inthe deterioration of reception sensitivity, compared to the poweramplification module 100A.

The filter circuit 140 can be, for example, a bandpass filter thatallows the transmit frequency band components of the transmit signalRFlow′ to pass therethrough and that attenuates the receive frequencyband components of the transmit signal RFlow′. Examples of the bandpassfilter include, but are not limited to, a surface acoustic wave (SAW)filter.

Some illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure have beendescribed. The power amplification modules 100A and 100B include, for afrequency band with a relatively narrow transmit/receive frequencyinterval, unlike the other frequency bands, the input terminal IN2, thepower amplification circuit PA4 in the drive stage, and the attenuationcircuit. This configuration makes it possible to amplify only thetransmit frequency band components of the transmit signal RFlow′ whileattenuating the receive frequency band components included in thetransmit signal RFlow′. This can prevent or reduce the occurrence ofnoise during power amplification of the transmit signal RFlow′, and canprevent or reduce the deterioration of reception sensitivity.

Alternatively, the matching network MN4 located upstream of the poweramplification circuit PA4 may serve as the attenuation circuit. Thisconfiguration can reduce noise without increasing the circuit scale.

The power amplification module 100B further includes the filter circuit140 as an attenuation circuit. This configuration can further attenuatethe receive frequency band components included in the transmit signalRFlow′, resulting in further reduction in the deterioration of receptionsensitivity.

The filter circuit 140 can be implemented as a bandpass filter. Forexample, the filter circuit 140 can be a SAW filter.

In addition, the power amplification modules 100A and 100B can have agreater emitter area of an HBT constituting the power amplificationcircuit PA4 than the emitter area of an HBT constituting the poweramplification circuit PA3. This configuration can prevent or reducenoise in the power amplification of the transmit signal RFlow′ whilekeeping the desired gain level for the power amplification of thetransmit signal RFlow.

Additionally, the power amplification modules 100A and 100B include theswitch elements SW1 and SW2. This configuration allows integration ofinput terminals for 2G and 3G/4G RF signals. Accordingly, the number ofterminals can be reduced compared to when input terminals individuallycorresponding to communication standards are provided.

Additionally, the power amplification modules 100A and 100B can beconfigured such that the switch element SW2 is connected to theamplification path for the low band in the 2G chip 120 or electricallydisconnects the input terminal IN1 during power amplification of thetransmit signal RFlow′. This configuration can prevent noise from beingsupplied from the input terminal IN1 to the power amplification circuitPA5 in the 3G/4G chip 110 during amplification of the transmit signalRFlow′.

The embodiments described above are provided for easy understanding ofthe present disclosure, and it is not intended to limit the presentdisclosure to the embodiments only. Modifications and improvements canbe made to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit ofthe present disclosure, and the equivalents thereof are also encompassedby the present disclosure. That is, these embodiments may beappropriately modified in design by those skilled in the art, and suchmodifications also fall within the scope of the present disclosure solong as the modifications include the features of the presentdisclosure. For example, the elements included in the embodimentsdescribed above and the arrangement, materials, conditions, shapes,sizes, and the like thereof are not limited to those described in theillustrated examples but can be modified appropriately. It is also to beunderstood that the embodiments described above are for illustrativepurposes and partial substitutions or combinations of elementsillustrated in different embodiments can be made, and such substitutionsor combinations also fall within the scope of the present disclosure solong as the substitutions or combinations include the features of thepresent disclosure.

While preferred embodiments of the disclosure have been described above,it is to be understood that variations and modifications will beapparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scopeand spirit of the disclosure. The scope of the disclosure, therefore, isto be determined solely by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A power amplification module comprising: a firstinput terminal receiving a first transmit signal in a first frequencyband; a second input terminal receiving a second transmit signal in asecond frequency band having a narrower transmit/receive frequencyinterval than the first frequency band; a first amplification circuitreceiving and amplifying the first transmit signal to produce a firstamplified signal and outputting the first amplified signal; a secondamplification circuit receiving and amplifying the second transmitsignal to produce a second amplified signal and outputting the secondamplified signal; and an attenuation circuit located between the secondinput terminal and the second amplification circuit and configured toattenuate a component of the second frequency band, wherein noattenuation circuit is located between the first input terminal and thefirst amplification circuit, wherein: the first and second frequencybands are between 699 MHz and 915 MHz.
 2. The power amplification moduleaccording to claim 1, wherein the attenuation circuit operates to matchan output impedance of a circuit located upstream of the secondamplification circuit to an input impedance of the second amplificationcircuit.
 3. The power amplification module according to claim 1, whereinthe attenuation circuit comprises a bandpass filter attenuating thereceive frequency band component of the second frequency band.
 4. Thepower amplification module according to claim 3, wherein the bandpassfilter comprises a surface acoustic wave filter.
 5. The poweramplification module according to claim 1, wherein the firstamplification circuit comprises a transistor and the secondamplification circuit comprises a transistor, and wherein the transistorof the second amplification circuit has a larger emitter area than thetransistor of the first amplification circuit.
 6. The poweramplification module according to claim 1, further comprising: a fourthamplification circuit amplifying a third transmit signal conforming to acommunication standard different from a communication standard to whichthe first transmit signal conforms; and a switch element outputting thefirst transmit signal or the third transmit signal inputted from thefirst input terminal to a corresponding one of the first amplificationcircuit and the fourth amplification circuit.
 7. The power amplificationmodule according to claim 6, wherein the switch element electricallydisconnects the first input terminal and the first amplification circuitin a case where the second transmit signal is inputted to the secondinput terminal.
 8. The power amplification module according to claim 2,wherein the attenuation circuit comprises a bandpass filter attenuatingthe receive frequency band component of the second frequency band. 9.The power amplification module according to claim 2, wherein the firstamplification circuit comprises a transistor and the secondamplification circuit comprises a transistor, and wherein the transistorof the second amplification circuit has a larger emitter area than thetransistor of the first amplification circuit.
 10. The poweramplification module according to claim 3, wherein the firstamplification circuit comprises a transistor and the secondamplification circuit comprises a transistor, and wherein the transistorof the second amplification circuit has a larger emitter area than thetransistor of the first amplification circuit.
 11. The poweramplification module according to claim 4, wherein the firstamplification circuit comprises a transistor and the secondamplification circuit comprises a transistor, and wherein the transistorof the second amplification circuit has a larger emitter area than thetransistor of the first amplification circuit.
 12. The poweramplification module according to claim 2, further comprising: a fourthamplification circuit amplifying a third transmit signal conforming to acommunication standard different from a communication standard to whichthe first transmit signal conforms; and a switch element outputting thefirst transmit signal or the third transmit signal inputted from thefirst input terminal to a corresponding one of the first amplificationcircuit and the fourth amplification circuit.
 13. The poweramplification module according to claim 3, further comprising: a fourthamplification circuit amplifying a third transmit signal conforming to acommunication standard different from a communication standard to whichthe first transmit signal conforms; and a switch element outputting thefirst transmit signal or the third transmit signal inputted from thefirst input terminal to a corresponding one of the first amplificationcircuit and the fourth amplification circuit.
 14. The poweramplification module according to claim 4, further comprising: a fourthamplification circuit amplifying a third transmit signal conforming to acommunication standard different from a communication standard to whichthe first transmit signal conforms; and a switch element outputting thefirst transmit signal or the third transmit signal inputted from thefirst input terminal to a corresponding one of the first amplificationcircuit and the fourth amplification circuit.
 15. The poweramplification module according to claim 5, further comprising: a fourthamplification circuit amplifying a third transmit signal conforming to acommunication standard different from a communication standard to whichthe first transmit signal conforms; and a switch element outputting thefirst transmit signal or the third transmit signal inputted from thefirst input terminal to a corresponding one of the first amplificationcircuit and the fourth amplification circuit.
 16. The poweramplification module according to claim 1, wherein the attenuationcircuit and the first amplification circuit are fabricated in amonolithic microwave integrated circuit.
 17. The power amplificationmodule according to claim 2, wherein the attenuation circuit and thefirst amplification circuit are fabricated in a monolithic microwaveintegrated circuit.
 18. The power amplification module according toclaim 3, wherein the attenuation circuit and the first amplificationcircuit are fabricated in a monolithic microwave integrated circuit. 19.The power amplification module according to claim 1, wherein theattenuation circuit is mounted in the module.
 20. The poweramplification module according to claim 2, wherein the attenuationcircuit is mounted in the module.